The Cullens Are Gone?
by flamanipulator
Summary: What happened if Alice never saw Bella jump? It goes all the way until the end of Eclipse. Way better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

If the Cullens never came back

(begins from New Moon, P.377)

_Wait_, I wanted to say. _Just a minute. _But I was still locked in place, listening to the echo of Edward's voice in my head. Storm-cooled air blew through the cab as he got out, blowing away the echo.

He met me at my door as I got out, waiting to walk me to the door. "Bella," he asked questioningly. "Can I come in for a bit?" I stared for a moment, frozen in unlocking the door. Why would he ask? Something must be on his mind. "Sure." I replied casually.

Entering the house, I decided to start on a long dinner, something that wouldn't take much work. I wanted to sit with Jacob.

After putting the lasagna in to bake, I went back to him.

Rising, he sighed, "I guess I'd better go. Charlie will be home soon." I didn't want him to leave now, no matter for how short a time, not after this awful day. I put my arms around his waist as he put his hand on my hair.

"Bella," he said, pulling me away from him. "Bella," he whispered, his tone softer, more of a croon. He released my shoulder to brush his fingertips along my cheek, trailing them down my jaw. He pressed both hands against my cheeks, trapping my face between his smoldering hands. "Bella." he whispered again.

I was frozen.

No! I hadn't made this decision yet! I didn't' know if I could do this now, and I was out of time to think. But rejecting him now would certainly have consequences.

I stared back at him. He was not my Jacob, but he could be. Right now, I could choose to have him belong to me.

Maybe it would be easy-like holding his hand or having his arms around me. Maybe it would feel nice. Maybe it wouldn't' feel like a betrayal. Besides, who was I betraying, anyway? Only myself

Keeping his eyes on mine, Jacob began to bend his face toward me. And I was still completely undecided. When he was inches from me, I realized: True love was forever lost. My prince was never coming back. I wasn't a princess after all, why would he? An inch away from his face, I made my decision.

I closed the last inch.

His hands were soft on my face and his lips were very warm, gentle. It was brief and very, very sweet.

Pulling away, he dropped his hands to my shoulders again. He was glowing. I smiled as I realized, it was easy. Jacob's warm, soft lips forbade any memory of His cold, firm lips. It wasn't betrayal, it was acceptance.

Charlie's cruiser broke the silence. "I really should be going." he told me softly. Pulling me against his blazing chest, he gripped me tightly, in a quick hug. As he released me, he bent down to kiss me again.

"Come by tomorrow." he said as he stepped away, heading out the back door. Closing it shut, he sprinted to the trees, vanishing from sight.

Charlie opened the door as I moved to take the lasagna out of the oven. "Hey dad," I called softly. "I'm sorry about Harry."

"Yeah." he replied sadly. "Poor Sue and her kids. It hit them the hardest."

We ate in silence, Charlie thinking about Harry, me thinking about other things. The dull ache I always felt was coming back without my sun there to keep it at bay. I tried pushing it away with thoughts of Jacob, but it would not fade. I would be stuck with the pain until tomorrow when I saw Jacob again. I went upstairs and fell asleep, drowning for the second time that day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 19

Information

The better part of two months had passed since that first kiss.

I spent as much time as was humanly possible with Jacob. It was now more like we were friends again, instead of more than that. He had reverted to holding hands, or putting his arm around me. It was nice, normal.

The spring dance had come around again, and this time, I would be at la Push instead. Jacob and I were in his garage, discussing what to do on that distant day. _No, it can't be a normal day, it's the spring dance_, his voice echoed through my ears as we silently contemplated. I decided to compromise. "How about this." I started, "We spend the whole Saturday normally, then when it is time for the dance, we go see a movie or something like that?" It was reasonable. The day before the dance would be normal anyway. "Actually, I was thinking," he began after a second's though, "That we could go cliff diving, or something else that is fun. I would be there, so you wouldn't almost die this time." he finished with a mocking grin. "I don't think so. I've had my fill of jumping off of cliffs for one lifetime, thank you very much." I stated promptly. "Well, we could go to Seattle. I've been needing-"

"No." he cut me off. "Not Seattle. Haven't you been reading the news?" he asked, like the reason was obvious. "Why not?" I asked. It wasn't obvious.

"The murders Bella. The body count is up to forty now. This thing isn't human, or even several humans. We've all been talking, and we decided it is a crazed newborn vampire, or even several."

I just stared. I hadn't even thought about vampires for over two weeks when Victoria had come looking for me again.

"Okay." I sat numbly. "No Seattle." My voice was dead from remembering the twisted reality I was living in.

Jacob noticed. Putting his right hand on my cheek, he gently pulled me around to face him. "Bella," he said softly, "Don't worry about them. You have a huge pack of werewolves here to protect you."

"It's not that." I told him. "It's just, I haven't even thought about vampires or anything magical for nearly two weeks now. It just caught me off guard." I explained.

Sliding his hand down to my back, he pulled me into his warm embrace. "Good. So I didn't break my promise?" he asked curiously. I was now confused. "What promise?" I asked him I felt him smile as he whispered in my ear, "You know, the one where I said I wouldn't hurt you anymore? I didn't' break it just now did I?" His quiet voice had shrunk down as he spoke, worried about my answer. "No. You are fine." I reassured him. Pulling me back a little, so he could look at my eyes, he smiled my smile. "Thanks." he said, leaning in to kiss me softly.

This one was just as quick as the first. Smiling, I put my hand on his, as he pulled his head back, keeping it pressed to my face.

Looking at my watch, I sighed as I leaned against him, "I guess I should get going. Charlie will be home soon."

As I made my way out of the garage, he wrapped his arms around me. "You'll come back tomorrow, right?" he asked. Of course I would! How could I not? He was finally _my _Jacob. He had not belonged to Sam around me for two weeks now. "Yes, right after work." I promised.

Even though it was May, nearing the end of school, it felt like February. Only his blazing arms kept me from shivering. The icy wind shifted directions as we got to the truck.

"HOLY CRAP!" Jacob shouted. "Vampire. Stay behind me!" Putting me against the truck, he stepped back. His form quivered, the air around him shimmered soundlessly, like heat haze. Exploding out of himself, he crouched as a wolf, his hackles rising as he snarled a loud warning.

I thought I saw a flicker of movement in the trees where Jacob faced. He confirmed that thought as he started forward, stopping immediately. He looked at me, then back at the forest. His head whipped back and forth so quickly it almost looked comical.

Finally, he decided, turning back to me. He then pointed to the road with his paw, laying on his stomach expectantly.

What did he want? Was I supposed to get on, like so oversized horse? What about my truck? His whine brought me back. Shifting slightly, he whined again.

"Do you want me to _ride_ you?" I asked, slightly disbelieving. I had ridden a horse before, but that was with a saddle, and I had still fallen off. He nodded once, then shifted closer to me. Unsure, I swung my leg over his back, sitting on his spine. It hurt.

He lifted his back legs up, sliding me forward into the hollow of his shoulders. Oh, much better.

As he stood up, I lurched forward, wrapping my arms in a death grip around as much of his neck as I could manage. He was so _big_!

Then we were moving. I felt the wind pulling as we flew, and I felt the motion of the run. It was much smoother than a horse, but still noticeable.

I made the mistake of looking up from the russet fur. The trees blew past, leaving sight even more suddenly than with- I cut that thought short. The dull pain began creeping into my chest. Smothering my face into Jacob's fur, I quickly buried that pain; much easier to do than it used to be.

Not even ten minutes had passed when Jacob slowed to a trot. Stopping at the edge of the forest, he crouched down for me to get off.

I hugged his colossal head as he stood again. "Will you come in? I don't want to be alone." I asked pathetically. He looked back, shaking his furry behind in answer.

Blushing, I replied, "Oh, yeah. You'll be close though, right?" In answer, he nodded and pointed of in either direction with his head.

"Okay." I said, hugging him again before heading inside. The weather really was cold away from Jacob. I hurried in, closing the door tightly behind me.

Deciding on something easy for dinner, I settled in to wait for Charlie. It didn't take long. Only five minutes had passed, since I started dinner, when I heard the cruiser pull into the driveway.

The door opened as I emptied the spaghetti noodles into the boiling water. "Hey Dad." I called as he walked in. "Hey Bells. Why are you home so early? I figured I'd need a restraining order on Jake if I wanted you back anytime soon." Charlie laughed as he hung up his belt.

"Am I really that bad?" I asked sheepishly. I knew I spent a lot of time at Jacob's, but I was sure I wasn't missing dinner. "No," he replied. "I'm exaggerating. But if I thought you and him spent a lot of time together before March, it was nothing compared to now." He chuckled again as he sat at the table.

Putting the defrosted meat in the pan, I reflected on the last few months.

"So," Charlie continued, "What is it with you and Jake? Are you like, official now? I feel it's my right to know." he finished, his voice taking on the protective parent role. That question took me off-guard. I guess technically we _were_ together, I had just never thought of it that way.

I started to answer, but was interrupted. "Now, don't try lying to me. I've seen how he looks at you, and how you inch closer when his arm is around you. Now, come clean." he finished sternly. His tone nearly made me laugh, but I restrained myself.

"Well," I started, "I guess we are. I _really_ like Jacob." There. Mission accomplished.

"Well, that's great Bells! I mean, he's a good kid, and he seems much better for you than Edward was."

His words trailed off after he realized what he had said, and I almost dropped the hot pan of spaghetti sauce. Those words had ripped open the healing hole I had covered up for so long.

Struggling to compose myself, I quickly served up Charlie's dinner and put the rest on the stove. "Oh Bells, I'm sorry." he said quietly. "I shouldn't have brought that up, should I?"

"No, Dad, it's okay." I managed. "I'll be in my room." He didn't' stop me. He could see the water works coming, and nothing scared Charlie more than tears.

Grabbing a pair of shorts from his room first, I closed my door. Opening the window, I threw the shorts out the window and spoke between the pain, "Jacob, please come in." Leaving it open, I lay facedown on my bed, the sobs taking me.

I heard a light thump as he landed, then Jacob's arms were around me, pulling me upright into his chest. He didn't say anything as I cried, just waited while stroking my hair.

Finally, I composed myself enough to stop the violent shivering, although the tears still flowed. "I'm sorry Jacob. I shouldn't have called you. You must be wondering why-" I broke off as another sob broke through. "Sshh. It's okay Bella." he assured me. "I heard everything, and I understand perfectly." His voice was hard, but he hugged me tighter, the heat radiating from him helping to calm me marginally. "Thanks Jake." I said weakly. "you don't know how glad I am to have you here." He didn't say anything, just pulled tighter for a brief moment.

We sat like that for what seemed like hours. The tears had stopped and the sky had deepened in its gray when he asked, "Are you okay now?" I was able to answer with no problem, "Yeah, I feel better. Thanks again Jake." I wrapped my arms around his waist as I said it, his body warming the remaining ice on my heart.

Kissing my head, he murmured, "I love you Bella." I paused, thinking._ What should I do? _Here I was, crying over - I couldn't' think his name - and here Jake was, comforting me. For the last six months, he had been there for me. Of course he was. He was _my _Jacob. My fest friend, more now. So much more. I realized I loved him too. I always had, it was just long in coming. "I love you too Jake." I said quietly.

I felt him change. His arms quivered slightly as he pulled me back, not with rage, something else. His eyes sparkled at those words like a kid's on Christmas morning. I smiled sheepishly at him as he bent towards me quickly. Pausing halfway, he looked at me.

He saw only assurance.

His lips crushed mine with an eagerness not far from violence. I kissed him back, my lips moving with his in a way they had never moved before. I realized, I didn't have to be careful with Jacob. I didn't want to be. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer.

After maybe thirty seconds of that blinding violence where all I knew was Jacob, the heat subsided. Jacob's ecstatic joy faded, and we slowed down. He released his tight grip, still holding me there, but not crushing me. His lips were tender against mine, the calm after the storm.

His lips stopped and he slowly pulled me away. I dropped my hands to his arm as he moved it to hold my shoulder. "I should go back outside." he said sadly. "Wouldn't want any vampires getting through. Don't worry, I'll stick around." he promised.

We walked to the window and he stepped out onto the roof. "I love you Bells." he said softly, kissing me gently again, like our first kiss. "Love you too." I replied.

"Leave the window open for a sec, I'll throw these back up." he said, pointing to Charlie's too-short-too-fat shorts.

He jumped down, and the shorts flew back up shortly after. Stowing them in the laundry basket, I saw a russet wolf streak into the forest, as I shut my window, running to keep me safe.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 21

Poison

The last weeks of school passed by in a blur. When I wasn't studying, I was with either Jacob or the pack, discussing various options for handling the army of newborns.

Thanks to Alice, we knew the exact date they would arrive. Sam had decided to split them into two groups. The night before they arrived, I was to walk in two different directions, hopefully causing half of the army to follow each trail, to allow the werewolves to ambush them separately. That day had approached very quickly. It seemed as if we had just decided this when we were moving to the place they would split up.

At the spot, Jacob left to stand about twenty feet away, out of the scents path. I then walked slowly in a curve to the baseball clearing, touching everything I could reach without deviating.

I then returned to make the second trail. After about ten steps along however, I tripped, piercing my hand on a stick. Jacob's laugh echoed as he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I have an idea though. Let's make this trail longer, allowing the others time to finish off there, and arrive as backup." I suggested, wiping my bloody hand on a plant or stump every couple steps. "That's a great idea Bella! Then we can reinforce the first group to finish even quicker!" Jacob nearly yelled, ecstatic at my brilliant idea.

This trail became nearly five times the length of the other. When my hand stopped bleeding, I just pricked it again, renewing the weak flow of blood.

We met up with Sam and the rest of the pack as the sun was setting. After discussing the new arrangement, Sam, Paul and Jacob were to take the second area of attack while Jared, Quil, Embry, Leah, Brady and Collin dealt with the first. Seth was going to be guarding me while the fight was going on. I had tried making Jacob stay, but he wouldn't be denied.

That night, we would be in a remote area of mountain while we waited. Jacob was going to switch with Seth in the morning, to take his place with Sam.

As the pack prepared, I rode Jacob through the forest, finally arriving at a small clearing with a sheer rock face on one side. Jake set up the tent as the wind picked up, sending an icy blast through the clearing. How could it be so cold in June? Even in the mountains?

Already dressed in several layers, I entered the tent and got into my sleeping bag quickly, fully dressed. Even so, I still became cold quickly. By the time midnight came around, I was shivering uncontrollably, my teeth chattering so hard I felt they might break.

Jacob came in, human, at that point, and surprised me by laughing. "Scoot over Bells, you're going to freeze to death." he said as he began squeezing into the non-existent space in the sleeping bag.

"J-j-j-jake, I'm f-f-f-fine." I began to protest, but gave up immediately. How could he feel so warm? Probably because there was so much of him.

He laughed again as I reflexively pulled closer. I kicked off my boots and he flinched as I pressed my frozen toes to his legs. He flinched once again as I buried my face into his bare shoulder. "You know Bella, there are other ways to heat up your lips." he laughed. I blew a raspberry into his shoulder as response. I didn't want to kiss him right now, fearing that my chattering teeth would bite off either his lips, or my tongue, the second being much more likely. For the same reason, I didn't say anything else.

Once my shivering had reduced to an occasional tremble, Jacob asked, "Are you feeling better now?" I took my face out of his shoulder. MY teeth were no longer trying to break themselves, so I answered, "Yes, I'm better now. Thank you."

I began to doze off as his tremendous heat suppressed the last of my shudders. "That's right, Honey," he murmured, "Sleep now. When you wake up, you'll be sweating." he finished, a smile in his voice.

When I woke up to the light filtering through the tent, I found Jacob to be right; I was sweating. To make things worse, I realized I was stuck, his huge arms pinning me to his immense form. "Jacob," I said, not quite whispering. "Wakey-wakey Jakey." I said, my voice getting louder. "Come one Jake, wake up!" I yelled, my voice being drowned easily in his chainsaw snore.

I struggled uselessly for a short while, kicking him to no avail. Finally, I did the last thing in my power; I bit him. With my voice drowned by his snores, and my body held useless, this was all I was capable of.

I started with a small amount of pressure, with just my front teeth, forgetting how strong he was. Then I let go, getting ready for a second round. I opened my mouth as wide as it would go, and pressed it to his shoulder. Getting as much of it as I could, I then chomped down with all my strength. It didn't work at first. I could tell he wasn't being bothered as his snores continued. I didn't' taste blood either, just his skin, reminding me of hickory barbeque, so I ground my teeth around his shoulder as hard as I could.

I let go as he shifted, looking down at me sleepily. "Bella?" he looked completely dazed, as if my bite had had nothing to do with his waking. Maybe it hadn't. "What were you doing? It felt like someone was sucking on my shoulder. It looks like it too." he said as he looked at his wet shoulder.

"You wouldn't wake up." I told him icily. My jaw hurt now. "I bit you as hard as I could because I couldn't move any other part of me." He just stared dumbly, then scared me by barking out a loud laugh. "You were biting me?" he roared, "I thought you decided to see what I tasted like, not if you could eat me!" he shook as he laughed, making it seem like an earthquake was trying to break the mountain.

A short bark from outside made him calm down. "What time is it?" he asked, still smiling. "It's just after seven." I replied, still peeved at my vain attempt to hurt him. His head slumped back to the pillow at this, no longer smiling. "I guess I had better get going." he said glumly.

"You could stay here you know, sleep a little longer?" I tried, knowing it would fail. "No way. Sam would chew me out. Besides," he continued, working his way out of the sleeping bag, "Why would I want to miss the greatest fight of all time?" He unzipped the tent door, letting unfiltered sunlight flood in. "Plus, it will be warm enough that a space heater won't be necessary today." he concluded, turning back to face me.

I was worrying again. Not only for Jacob, but for the other wolves, especially Brady and Collin. They had never gone up against vampires before. What if they got hurt? If anyone got hurt, it would be my fault. They were coming after me, anything that happened as a result would be my fault.

Jacob saw the worry in my eyes and ducked down to my level. "Don't worry Bella," he began, grabbing my shoulders gently. "I'm going to be fine."

"What about Collin and Brady?" I asked unsteadily. They weren't as important as Jacob staying safe was, but it would still be my fault if they got hurt. "They're going to be okay too, Bella. Wolves have instincts for killing vampires, and if what your bloodsucker said is true, it will be even easier than normal." His face was right in front of me now, filling my view with his certain eyes.

Moving his hands to my face, he closed the distance to kiss me gently. I t became longer than expected as I raised my arms around his neck. We were interrupted by a choking noise by a tree, and we turned to see Seth bent over, pretending to throw up. Jacob smirked and gave me another quick kiss, but pulled back afterwards.

"I'll be back soon." he promised as he jogged off into the forest. Seth snickered as I stared after Jacob, snapping me back to reality.

About ten minutes had passed since Jacob left when Seth suddenly snapped alert. "What is it?" I asked quietly. He jumped the distance between us instantly, landing in a familiar crouch. I climbed on quickly and Seth bolted off into the forest.

I wondered why we were running, so I glanced behind us, and instantly wished I hadn't. I could see two deathly white figures following about twenty yards back, one with hair like fire. Victoria had found me.

Suddenly, two large shapes were beside us, and I screamed before I recognized Brady and Collin. I held Seth like a vice as the three wolves fishtailed around, baring their teeth at the vampires. I slid off Seth and backed against a tree, the wolves a wall between me and my tormentor.

Seth moved to the side, lining himself up with the boy. He looked no older than Jacob had before becoming a wolf. Collin took Seth's place between me and Victoria as Brady began circling around her, stopping immediately on her right. Collin stepped forward, Victoria stepped back, Brady keeping in line with her.

Seth and the boy began separating from the other confrontation, making their own. They began circling each other, Seth doubling back to prevent the boy getting close to me.

The dances picked up as I shifted, breaking a twig. Seth lunged at the boy as Brady and Collin leaped at Victoria from different angles. I heard a screeching and something white landed near me. I screamed and I saw the boy pause as he heard my voice. Seth lunged, tearing off the boy's shoulder and kicking him backwards.

Victoria lunged around Collin, but he caught her and threw her the other way, snapping a tree as she landed. Collin then threw something over his shoulder, and I gasped as I saw that it was a foot.

Seth beat the boy further into the trees, and out of sight, as Brady lunged at Victoria. Using a tree as leverage, she swung and kicked him, a loud crunch reaching me as he flew through the air. He got up unsteadily, bending one of his legs out of an unnatural position with a sickening crunch. After it settled, looking right, he lunged back in. Meanwhile, Collin was dodging her blows, unable to do more. Victoria lunged, grabbing hold of his front leg. He bit her hand and a screeching noise sounded, followed by an awful wail. I heard a crunch and Collin crashed into a nearby tree, falling to the ground. The air around him shimmered, and Collin was laying five feet away, his arm looking mangled, his shoulder bleeding from two crescent marks; Victoria had bit him.

I rushed to his side as his eyes shot open and he let out a blood-curdling scream. "Ahhh! It burns! Stop the fire. Please! It burns!" he cried, thrashing.

I thought back to when James had bit me, remembering the awful pain it had caused. I then remembered what had been done to stop that scorching fire.

"Collin!" I screamed, kicking his face; It would only feel like a slap to him. "Collin, stop moving!" I screamed. His eyes focused on me briefly and he stopped thrashing. He whimpered, as I knelt down beside him, locking his whole body in place. Pushing my hair away, I pressed my mouth to the ugly wound.

Sucking, I felt my mouth fill with blood. It tasted off, then it started burning my mouth as Collin thrashed more, knocking the blood out of my mouth all over the ground and him. "Collin!" I screamed, halting his thrashing again. He quivered with the effort as I drew another mouthful. After the third, my mouth stopped burning, and Collin's violent shuddering had relax. I took one more mouthful from the ugly wound to make sure it was clean. I left it in my mouth for five seconds, waiting for the burn to begin, then spit it out when it didn't come.

Collin's eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply, asleep. I remembered the canteen over my shoulder, and took a big gulp as I was brought away from Collin. Only thirty seconds had passes since Victoria had bit him. I looked up and saw that she had lost a leg below her knee.

Brady jumped and, ripping off the opposing arm, landed on top of her. His head ducked down and a horrible keening, quickly cut off, was followed by a dull thud. I didn't look at the flames which now lay unmoving just ten feet from Brady.

Seth loped out of the forest carrying a large chunk of something pale in his mouth; the boy's torso. The two werewolves moved off to collect other pieces of the two vampires, throwing them into a pile.

Brady transformed and pulled a lighter from the bundle on his ankle as Seth dragged a large mound of dry brush over the pile.

Seth, still a wolf, rushed over to us as Brady started the fire. I hadn't realized that I had moved back to Collin, his head on my lap, and I was curled around him protectively.

Brady then shouted, "Is she okay?" as he ran towards us. A thick column of smoke was rising behind him, filling the air with the smell of incense. Seth shifted and knelt beside me, examining the bleeding wound on Collin's shoulder. "Brady," he began, "She bit him."

Brady gasped and dropped down beside us. The thought that I was surrounded by three naked boys hadn't even registered when, suddenly, there were five more, plus Leah. Two boys picked Collin up and settled him on the one remaining wolf, who then took off into the forest.

Jacob came up from behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I was glad that he, at least, had put shorts on when he asked, "What happened? We were all so busy fighting that we didn't even notice until Seth announced it. No one even remembers it happening."

"We'll have time for stories later." a gruff voice announced. Sam. Let's go make sure he's okay first."

Jacob backed away, and I felt all of them change at the same time. I turned around and got on Jacob's back, the nine of us racing for la Push.

At Collin's house, a loud thump outside the house caused everyone to jump. A second later, Jared came in, limping on his right leg. "What happened?" Everyone asked at the same time. "A leech was trying to follow us here. I went back and took care of it before we got to town, but he banged me up pretty good. How's Collin?" he asked, wincing as he walked. "As far as anyone can see, he's fine." Sam answered quietly. "He's just sleeping. Bella, tell us everything that happened." Sam ordered.

I recounted everything after the fight with Victoria had started, everyone trembling and gasping at the part where I sucked the venom out.

"How did you know that would work?" Sam asked quietly. Holding up my hand so that the scar was clearly visible, I said, "Remember last spring, when I went to Arizona? James, the vampire who tried to kill me, had bit me. Edward," his name causing less pain than it ever had, "sucked the venom out before it could do anything beyond burning my hand. It worked for me, why not for Collin?" I finished, remembering the burn his blood had put in my mouth.

"Collin owes you his life Bella." Sam said morosely.

"No he doesn't." I protested. "All that would have happened is he became a vampire. He would just have to get used to the smell." I said, nervous at his expression.

"No." Sam said firmly. "Bella, vampire venom kills werewolves. It doesn't change them, like normal people. It's a death sentence." I shook as I realized that I had saved Collin's whole life, not just his mortal one.

A low moan brought everyone's attention back to Collin. He opened his eyes sleepily and muttered, "Where am I? Guys? What happened? I just remember my shoulder being put in fire, Bella telling me to stop moving, the fire getting worse, then leaving. After that, I was here. Ouch." he winced, breaking out of his disorientation.

Everyone jumping on him and hugging him caused him to howl in pain. "Owwww! My shoulder hurts! Be careful." he insisted, looking down at the scabbing crescent shapes. The whole pack was too busy telling him about how I had saved him, and how now those vampires were dead, to notice.

In celebration, they al decided to go out for a run. Jake would stay behind with me. All out the door, people were pulling off what little clothing they had on, oblivious to the fact that I might care.

Collin's house was separated from central La Push, so there were no worries about being seen.

Once outside, everyone began transforming. Collin leaned forward to transform, but instead of exploding, he just fell. Picking himself up, he closed his eyes to focus. Nothing happened. Everyone stared at him as they changed back, shock and confusion filling their eyes. "What's the matter, Collin?" Sam asked. Collin stared wildly for a moment and answered, "I…I can't…transform." Terror filled his eyes as this sank in, and dread balled up in my stomach.

Collin may be alive, but his wolf was dead.

It was all my fault.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 22

Finished

As everyone stared at Collin, I really looked at him, taking in every detail. He looked like a normal fifteen-year old boy should, instead of a twenty-five year old man. His muscles no longer prominent, his face no longer angled, but rounded like it should be. Instead of being seven feet tall, he was around six. Still big by my standards, but no longer huge, like Jacob. Most importantly, the crescent scabs on his shoulder stood out like black on white, emphasizing the fact that they were still there.

"Collin," I said numbly, stepping forward. My hand was stretched out to feel his forehead, waiting for permission. He nodded once and I pressed my hand to his head. I closed my eyes sadly. "less than one-hundred degrees," I stated. "I think…I think he's…human." I said, whispering it; they all could hear.

"What'd you say, Bella?" Well, all but one could.

"You're human, Collin." I said, tears starting. This was all my fault. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault!" I cried, turning to run. I crashed into Jacob, throwing my arms around him, sobbing against his chest. He just sat there, unmoving. No one said anything when Collin collapsed,, beating his fist on the ground repeatedly.

I felt myself being lifted up, but I was too wracked with guilt to notice anything else. It seemed like a long time before I felt something besides Jacob's arms beneath me. I looked up, and we were in Jacob's room. He was sitting next to me, both arms around my slumped form.

"I'm so sorry Jake." I cried. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." I continued, burying my face in his chest again. "Bella, shh. It'll be okay Bells." he said, but his voice cracked, betraying the truth. "At least Collin is _alive._ That is better than what could have happened. Bella, if you hadn't been there, Collin wouldn't' even have that. If it weren't for you, he would have died."

"If I hadn't been here, none of this would have happened!" I wailed, refusing to listen to him comforting me.

"Bella, this is Victoria's fault, not yours." he told me, as firmly as he could manage. "You didn't ask Victoria to hunt you. She did that herself. The only thing you are responsible for, is _saving Collin__'__s life.__"_ he said, his sincerity helping calm me.

I had stopped sobbing, and was able to look at Jacob. His soft, nearly black eyes bore down into mine as he asked, "Are you okay now?"

"Yes. Thank you Jacob. I don't know how I would ever deal with myself alone." I whispered, tears still clouding my voice.

I don't know when or how I fell asleep, but when I awoke, it was early morning light, the clock reading seven a.m. Jacob was leaning back on the wall, snoring, and I was leaning against his chest, drooling. Ew. I wiped the drool off gently, careful not to disturb him. He woke up anyways, with a jolt, and looked around the room, completely disoriented. "Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jake, I'm not the boogeyman." I said, smiling.

"Oh. Yeah. Bella, I know it may not be the best time, but I have something really important to ask you." he said, wide awake now.

Getting up, he crossed to his dresser, reached inside and pulled something out, keeping it closed inside his fist. Crossing back to the bed, he knelt down beside me, on the floor. Taking my hand, he looked into my eyes as he held up what he held; a white gold ring with a small diamond set in the top. "Will you marry me? I love you, and after yesterday, I realize how easy it would be to lose you. I never want that. Will you marry me?" he asked again.

My eyes were wide with shock and I couldn't breathe. I sat there, staring dumbly at him, trying to suck in a breath. "Bella?" he asked. I regained some control, and air exploded into my lungs. "Jake," I managed. Renée would kill me! Early marriage was higher up on her black list than burning live puppies. Charlie wouldn't mind, he'd be down right happy, in fact, but Renée! "Jake, I-" I couldn't continue.

He waited until I could talk again. He had moved to my side on the bed, just waiting for me to speak. I pulled in several deep, calming breathes before starting again. "Jacob, you are sixteen-"

"Don't give me the 'you're too young' crap Bella!" he interrupted me.

"Jake." I paused, waiting for him to listen. "Don't interrupt me, okay? Let me finish. Now, you are sixteen, still in high school. I am going to college in a few months." I said, speaking slowly. "You need to finish high school Jake. You can't legally get married yet anyway."

"Bella, I don't need-"

"Jacob!" I cut him off. I took his hand, closing it over the ring. "I _will _marry you, Jacob Black, but only after you have finished high school. I will have some of college out of the way, and I will hopefully be ready to settle down." I explained, his fae lighting up as I continued. "So you will marry me?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"I will." I promised. I barely got the words through my lips when Jake crushed them. He was kissing me with such a joy, I was stunned. I had never seen him this happy before, and it was infectious, like he always was. As I kissed him back, my mind wandered to the distant future;

I could see Charlie and Renée mixed into a strange collage with Billy and Sam and La Push. I could see the years passing, and meaning something as they passed.

I could see the enormous red-brown wolf that I loved, always standing as protector if I needed him. I then saw the bobbing heads of two small, black haired children, running away from me into the familiar forest.

As they disappeared, so did the vision, leaving only Jacob, and the thought of our future.

END


End file.
